Abstract:

Mass-casualty incidents require the engagement of multiple emergency services and involve significant human and material resources. Hybrid simulation training, based on a co-modality approach that combines immersive simulation with real-world physical interactions, offers a valuable alternative for learning complex procedures while reducing costs. However, the large number of stakeholders involved, the diversity of their roles, and the variety of objectives can make task execution more complex. It is therefore important to better understand decision-making processes to improve training and coordination. The triangulation of results from two questionnaires and elicitation interviews revealed three levels of factors through the lens of embodied and distributed cognition that may influence trainees’ decision-making: the micro-individual level, including sensory elements and personal factors; the meso-interactional/environmental level, including the technical environment and inter- and intra-service interactions; and the macro-societal/organizational level, including professional culture and doctrines. The results also indicate that trainees perceived the hybrid simulation as moderately cognitively demanding, but overall useful and satisfying. Further analysis will be conducted to develop a model describing the interactions between internal and external reference systems from micro, meso, and macro perspectives.

Keywords:

Embodied cognition, distributed cognition, simulation, multi-agency training, crisis management.